Yu Ye, Jin Chunjia, Fu Runqi, Han Lin, Fu Binlong, Li Qian, Cheng Yanfen, Leng Jing
Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, China.
Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science of Yunnan Province, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, China.
BMC Genomics. 2025 May 21;26(1):514. doi: 10.1186/s12864-025-11718-3.
The utilization of transcriptome technology in the identification of pivotal regulatory genes associated with immunity is of paramount importance. Previous studies have shown that undomesticated gayal (Bos frontalis) may have higher humoral responses which is comparable to yaks. However, research on immune function of gayal is limited, and comparisons with different breeds are rarely reported. The objective of this study was to inspect the immune status and compare splenic differential expression genes (DEGs) through comparative transcriptome analysis of gayal and domesticated local cattle (Yunan yellow cattle).
Serum immunological status investigation showed the better humoral immune status and lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines of gayal when compared to the local cattle. Spleen RNA-seq showed that 708 DEGs (365 up- and 343 down-regulated genes) were obtained between the gayal and local cattle. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis showed that immune system pathways, immune disease pathways, and chemotaxis-related molecular function of gayal were significantly enriched, whereas T cell-related cellular component and biological process were downregulated in the gayal. Correlation analysis shown that CD1, CD36, CD38, CD179a, CD179b, CXCL8, IGCGAMMA, IGH, IGHG1, IGLL1, IL1R2, SERPINB, and SERPINB4 had positive correlations with splenic IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, and IgM, respectively (R > 0.5, P < 0.05). ANPEP, BVD1.23, CD1E, CD3D, CD3E, CD3G, CD5, CD8 A, HBB, IDO1, LCK, MGC126945, MHC1, TRAV, TRBV, and ZAP70 had negative correlations with splenic IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, and IgM, respectively (R < -0.5, P < 0.05).
Our results reveal the immunological mode of gayal with high-level humoral immunity and enhanced splenic immunoglobulin gene expression and B cell differentiation, which may enable gayal to adapt to the harsh environments.
转录组技术在鉴定与免疫相关的关键调控基因方面具有至关重要的意义。先前的研究表明，野生大额牛（Bos frontalis）可能具有较高的体液免疫反应，与牦牛相当。然而，关于大额牛免疫功能的研究有限，且与不同品种的比较报道较少。本研究的目的是通过对大额牛和本地家养牛（云南黄牛）进行比较转录组分析，来检测免疫状态并比较脾脏差异表达基因（DEGs）。
血清免疫学状态调查显示，与本地牛相比，大额牛具有更好的体液免疫状态和较低水平的促炎细胞因子。脾脏RNA测序表明，在大额牛和本地牛之间获得了708个差异表达基因（365个上调基因和343个下调基因）。京都基因与基因组百科全书（KEGG）和基因本体论（GO）富集分析表明，大额牛的免疫系统途径、免疫疾病途径和趋化性相关分子功能显著富集，而大额牛中与T细胞相关的细胞成分和生物学过程下调。相关性分析表明，CD1、CD36、CD38、CD179a、CD179b、CXCL8、IGCGAMMA、IGH、IGHG1、IGLL1、IL1R2、SERPINB和SERPINB4分别与脾脏IgA、IgD、IgE、IgG和IgM呈正相关（R > 0.5，P < 0.05）。ANPEP、BVD1.23、CD1E、CD3D、CD3E、CD3G、CD5、CD8 A、HBB、IDO1、LCK、MGC126945、MHC1、TRAV、TRBV和ZAP70分别与脾脏IgA、IgD、IgE、IgG和IgM呈负相关（R < -0.5，P < 0.05）。
我们的结果揭示了大额牛具有高水平体液免疫、脾脏免疫球蛋白基因表达增强和B细胞分化的免疫模式，这可能使大额牛能够适应恶劣环境。
